Vineyard: Element Vineyard
Subregion: Gimblett Gravels
Region: Hawke's Bay 
Vintage: 2017
Soil Type: Free-draining gravel bed soils which have lenses of sand, silt and clay at various depths.
Clone: Chave, Mass Selection and Stonecroft
Viticulture: Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Certified (SWNZ)
Growers: Dominic and Rachelle Smith 

Winemaker's Notes: 

In the true expression of cool-climate Syrah, this wine exudes freshly cracked black pepper, crushed violets, red and black forest fruits and savoury smoky nuances. It has crunchy lifted acidity which carries the defined, fine-grain tannins and background of spicy, savoury oak.

This wine is about fragrance and texture, which is assisted by our pioneering co-fermentation technique with a small proportion of Gruner Veltliner skins as well as whole-cluster fermentation. The co-fermentation gives a white pepper spice quality to the flavour spectrum and intensifies and stabilises the brilliant purple hue of Syrah. The result is layers of complexity in flavour and tannins which will allow an intriguing long-term ageing potential.

Reviews: 

17.5 Points - "Strongly peppery on the nose – absolutely spot-on for the style. There's loads of fresh red fruit and a big smack of acidity too, keeping the palate sharp and refreshed. Lengthy and meaty, really wringing every ounce of typicality from the variety. So naturally generous! Silky smooth, and light in body too, but with no shortage of flavour. Finishes with a touch of herby stemmy flavour." - Richard Hemming MW for JancisRobinson.com Highest Scoring New Zealand Syrah for 2017 vintage                                                                                             

94 Points - "What a great bouquet of Syrah, fresh, peppery & fruity. Violets, brown baking spices and toasty oak. Equally engaging on the palate with a core of salty, ripe red berry fruit flavours, pepper and olive, some meaty fleshy moments, firm tannins, a back bone of acidity and long finish. A decent complexity, layered, balanced and well made. Drink now and through 2025+." Cameron Douglas MS, 11/10/19

93 Points - 'Wild yeast fermentation with 60% whole-cluster and co-ferment with 7% grüner veltliner. An intriguing syrah, with sweet fruitness restrained by grainy, drying tannins. Quite an edgy wine with floral, violet, pepper, blackberry and raspberry flavours. A little closed right now but with promising potential.' Drink 2019 - 2025 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review 21/8/2019

93 Points - "Super peppery and sweetly fragrant, woody spices on offer here. This has a very fresh and frisky, complex feel with concentrated blackberries and cassis defining the palate, as well as chocolate and pepper. Drink or hold. Screw cap." Nick Stock - JamesSuckling.com 16/10/2019 

92 Points "Interestingly, the 2017 Element Syrah includes 60% whole bunches and was co-fermented with a small proportion of Grüner Veltliner skins, both of which serve to emphasize the wine's lifted, peppery aromatics. The oak influence is modest, allowing those pepper notes to shine, accenting dark olive and black cherry fruit. At under 13% alcohol, it's a lithe, silky wine, medium-bodied but amply concentrated, with a lingering finish. Drink it anytime over the next decade." Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker Wine Advocate 17/4/2020

View Blank Canvas 'Element' Syrah Tasting Notes - 2017 | 2018
View Blank Canvas Syrah Tasting Notes (different single vineyard) 2015 | 2014